Page 26 of Guys Like Him

“I hope this works,” he said, squirting a small amount into the palm of his hand.

A hot flush crept up Kieran’s neck when he recognized the New Hope Wellness logo, but Finley was too busy striding purposefully to notice. His boss stopped a few feet away from the stall door. Nellie approached slowly, snorting and tossing her mane. Kieran stopped beside Finley and took a deep sniff, picking up earthy tones and a hint of something floral.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Hopefully my secret weapon.” Finley kept his attention on the horse, gauging her reaction to the scent. As for Nellie, she only had eyes for Kieran once he arrived. “It’s lavender and vetiver. My mom said it might put out a soothing scent to help calm Nellie as I figure out just how deep her trauma goes.”

Kieran wondered what would happen if Finley reached a verdict that the beautiful horse couldn’t be rehabilitated. Surely, they wouldn’t destroy such a magnificent creature. Tears burned the back of his eyes and nose, reminding him that living like a caged animal for twenty months hadn’t turned him into one. He nearly resented the truth more than the thought that had provoked it. He squared his shoulders, determined that Nellie would never face such a horrible fate, and crossed to her stall door.

“Hold on a minute,” Finley said. “I know she likes you—”

Kieran ignored him, opened the door, and reached for her reins. She snorted and tossed her head, her nostrils flaring.

“Careful now,” Finley urged. “Those are signs of high stress.”

“It’s okay, pretty baby,” Kieran cooed. “You’re safe. No one will harm you.” Nellie stopped tossing her head and snorting to stare at him. “That’s right. We’ve got this. Now come out of there so we can check you over.” He gently tugged the leather rein in his hand, and she eased out of the stall and walked beside him.

“There’s a good girl,” Kieran said as they walked to the examination room. “No need for potions and hysteria, is there? You just need someone who understands you.” He talked to the horse, telling her everything they were going to do and why. Kieran knew she didn’t really understand him, but she seemed to like his voice. He hadn’t done a lot of talking since going into lockup, but he’d make an exception for this beauty. They encountered Owen and Tyler, who gaped at the pair with open mouths. “Never bet against me, fellas.”

Nellie whinnied as if to add, “Me too.”

Tyler and Owen tipped their hats, and Owen held up his hand for Kieran to fist bump.

Kieran led the horse into the examination area and secured her lead to the post. “Remember what I said,” he cooed. “This is for your own good. We gotta make sure your shoes still fit right and that you don’t have any wounds.” Finley had explained that he preferred for the horses to go barefoot whenever possible, but Nellie’s hooves had been in bad shape when she’d arrived at the ranch, and she needed the added stability that horseshoes provided. He stepped back and petted her velvety crest. “And we need to do something about the state of your mane. I’ve seen dudes in jail look more polished than you do right now.” Nellie neighed and butted against him. Her spunky nature thawed his frozen heart a little. “Don’t get sassy,” he cajoled. “You’re still the prettiest girl in the world, and we saved the best horse for last.”

Kieran turned to get his tools and to make sure no brushes were in Nellie’s line of sight. Did she hate all grooming implements or just brushes? He pulled up short when he caught Finley watching him from the doorway with an awed expression on his face. It was very similar to the one earlier yet different. His green eyes glittered with intensity as he shifted his gaze from the horse to Kieran. Finley blinked, but the expression didn’t disappear like last time. If anything, it took on a dreamier quality like maybe his mind transported him someplace else.

“Incredible,” Finley said, his voice a guttural whisper.

“I know she is,” Kieran said, deflecting the praise and pretending it didn’t feel like a caress down his spine. He couldn’t allow anything to develop here. Finley had relationship written all over him, which was the opposite of what Kieran needed. He wasn’t sticking around and had no desire to leave a trail of tears and heartbreak in his wake.

Finley blinked several times, and his eyes focused once more. His full lips curved into a lush smile, drawing Kieran’s gaze to the bitable dimple in his chin. “Let’s get started so we can get cleaned up and head to town for the festival. I figured we would grab dinner at my favorite diner.” Finley’s brow furrowed slightly as he continued to look at him. “That’s if you still want to come with me.”

With him, on him, in him.Kieran would settle for near him. He swallowed the earnest response and went with a safer choice. “Yes, if it’s still okay with you.” Finley had given him an out, but he hadn’t taken it.

“Of course,” Finley said. He stepped closer to supervise but didn’t crowd them, and he didn’t offer input unless asked a question.

Kieran moved from one task to the other, talking sweetly to Nellie as he went. She bunched her muscles at times or shifted to the left or right. When that happened, Kieran stopped and soothed her with gentle strokes until she calmed down.

“I’ve been thinking about her aversion to grooming brushes,” Finley said once Kieran finished his exam. “Let’s try putting blinders on her so she won’t see the brush.”

“Blinders?”

“Ever heard the adage about putting blinders on?” Finley asked him.

“I have but didn’t realize it referred to horses.”

“Blinders ensure they won’t see objects or other horses in their periphery. They can only see what’s in front of them. The devices are used a lot in horse racing and driving, but they come in handy in other situations. Let’s see how she does with them on. Limiting her vision could cause her more distress than seeing the brush, but it’s worth a shot.”

Kieran stood in front of Nellie and smoothed a hand over her muzzle while Finley attached the leather disks to her bridle’s cheekpiece. She stayed calm until he stepped away to retrieve the grooming tools. Kieran moved back in front of her and looked at Finley for guidance.

“For today, let’s keep you where Nellie can see you. I’ll take care of grooming while you sweet talk her.”

Kieran shifted his gaze back to the horse, whose eyes were widening in fear. “Don’t be afraid, pretty girl. No one here will ever hurt you. No brushes to break your spirit.”

They worked together—Kieran cooing softly while Finley went to work with the grooming tools. Nellie got a little animated when he started working tangles from her mane, so Kieran sang “Brown Eyed Girl” to her. The song seemed to come from a place he hadn’t known existed. Was it a memory of his mom before their lives went to hell? The words rolled off Kieran’s tongue without any provocation from him. He felt Finley’s attention but kept his eyes on Nellie, who looked at him as if he were her lifeline. Kieran started the next verse of the song. It was a strange feeling to pull lyrics from his subconscious mind without knowing how they’d gotten there. Finley stepped back when he finished, and Kieran let his voice trail off.

“We can take her blinders off now,” Finley said, moving closer to remove the devices.

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